USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo Explains Kyle Kuzma’s Camp Invitation

Kyle Kuzma USA Basketball

Getty Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers talk.

After two years exceeding expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kyle Kuzma received an unexpected invite to USA Basketball’s training camp for the FIBA World Cup. Kuzma should have a chance to crack the roster and compete against some of the league’s best veteran players – giving him an incredible opportunity to see how his game stacks up and what he needs to keep working on.

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USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo Explains Kyle Kuzma’s Camp Invitation

Kuzma himself already has acknowledged how valuable the time at USA Basketball camp can be and how much of an honor it is to be able to represent his county. However, USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo spoke back in June about how Kuzma’s development since being taken as the 27th overall pick helped him stand out among others for an invitation to USA Basketball camp – which is now right around the corner.

More than just his development, Colangelo cited Kuzma’s wide array of skills as a driving force for his invitation. Able to play multiple positions, possessing good size, and a strong shot, Kuzma offers a tough matchup – especially at the international level.

Even if Kuzma doesn’t make the FIBA World Cup roster, expect him to come back from camp a different player. Kuzma is always looking for ways to improve and the time spent going head to head with other NBA vets should prove to be extremely valuable in helping him get ready to take a big step forward in his third season for the Lakers.


Takeaways From Kyle Kuzma’s 2018-2019 Lakers’ Season

Last year, Kuzma put together an extremely solid second season. Had his three-point percentage stayed on par with his rookie year numbers, Kuzma might actually already be talked about as the Lakers’ third star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Kuzma’s athleticism and natural feel for the game make him an excellent target cutting to the rim for LeBron as he has a knack for finding windows where the King can slip him the ball for an easy look. Kuzma finished the year with per-game averages of 18.7/5.5/2.5 on 45.6/30.3 shooting splits.

With Anthony Davis in the mix now, he will need to show some improvement as a catch and shoot sniper from behind the three-point line in order to help keep the paint clear for the Lakers’ two superstars. Last season, he saw his shooting percentage from long range take a nosedive from his rookie year number of 36.6% down to 30.3%. Kuzma has worked with renowned shooting coach Lethal Shooter this summer to help improve his consistency from range.

The addition of James last year seemed to offer Kuzma a huge shot in the arm regarding his development as it was evident from early on the two shared on-court chemistry. Despite being an aggressive scorer, Kuzma understood his role when sharing the court with LeBron and was one of the team’s biggest beneficiaries to the King’s elite playmaking skill set. If he can continue that strong chemistry despite a new cast of characters this season, expect big things from the young Kyle Kuzma.